Tag: beauty

Bold and beautiful. It’s definitely the name of a daytime soap opera (that I indulge in from time to time!), but the words could also be used to describe the type of jewelry that Houston designer Jessie Dugan makes.

When talking about what inspired some of the best-selling pieces in her line, Dugan points to a rock collection passed down to her from an uncle.

“He left me his rock collection, and a lot of them were Texas-based rocks. I was always fascinated with that because I don’t think you really see that much natural stone,” Dugan says. “It’s got a little bit of glitz and glamor to make it more elevated, and it’s an easy way to make a statement.”

The statement Dugan’s jewelry is making seems to be pretty loud. Aside from her background in high fashion, she’s also got genuine rockers wearing her glitzy rocks! You can find out who and and read the full story on CultureMap.

I’m working with beauty blogger Nicole Kestenbaum to produce beauty videos for her lifestyle blog Lipstick and Brunch. We just finished her first video featuring a beauty recap of Nicole meeting celebrity make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury, a look at her favorite lip color picks for spring and her review of the jewelry loan program, Rocksbox.

I’m excited to be part of this opportunity as an editor and videographer! We plan on producing more videos that include interviews, beauty event coverage, tutorials and product reviews.

About a month ago, I saw a tweet from Houston’s Voice about My Black is Beautiful, a contest designed to unite African-American women and promote their beauty inside and out. According to the website, this is their first “nationwide search for six empowering women who can help us inspire black women and girls to become their best selves.”

Those six will become ambassadors who will possibly make appearances at events and appear in product ads for the contest sponsor, Procter and Gamble. Well, *drumroll please,* I’m one step closer to becoming one of those six: I’m a finalist!

From April 26 to May 17, the search took place in four markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and DC/Maryland. However, the audition process actually began April 11 when anyone who was interested had until midnight to submit an application online. Out of those who applied, 100 semi-finalists were chosen for a live interview in one of the four markets I listed above. I went to the Dallas interview May 10, met some wonderful ladies and came home with CoverGirl products from the Queen collection.

Dallas Semi-FinalistsCoverGirl Queen Products

Out of the 100 semi-finalists, the top three from each market advanced to the finalist round (for a total of 12). Videos and pictures of the finalists from the live interviews will be posted to the My Black is Beautiful Facebook page. From May 28 to June 1, the public will vote for their favorite six who will then be named grand prize winners.

My goal is to be one of the six! Winners will be finalists for one year and also will travel to the 2014 Essence Music Festival – an event tied to the contest. You can vote for me here.

One more note: I have to mention that my dress was designed by my good friend Ksania Lerner. I believe true beauty does come from within and that confidence is sexy and I definitely felt ready to take on anything in that dress. Check out more from her line, Alexenia.